The present invention relates generally to the field of stackable, storage containers and, in its most preferred embodiments, to the field of apparatus and methods for storing computer data media (or other articles) in stackable containers that reduce exposure of the media to dust and static electricity.
In the not to distant past, eight-inch floppy disks and large magnetic tape reels were the primary media for storage of computer data for a limited base of installed electronic computer equipment. Today, those media are no longer the primary media of choice for data storage. Instead, media based upon the same basic magnetic technologies have been enhanced to hold more data in a smaller form factor. Thus, the eight-inch floppy disk has been replaced by five and a quarter-inch floppy disks and three and a half-inch floppy disks, while the large magnetic tape reel has been replaced by smaller tape cartridges including 3480 cartridges, 8 mm back-up tape cartridges, and streamer tape cartridges. In addition, a number of new technologies have spawned a variety of media types in various form factors such as CD-ROMS, writable CD's, laser optical disks, floptical disks, removable hard disks, heli-scan tape cartridges, and others.
With the advent of smaller computers and the proliferation of new media, the electronic media suppliers have created consumer demand for media organization and storage that is expandable, allows for mixed media organization, easy access, some level of security and a system that provides for static electricity-free archival storage of original program media, as well as dated information that has been purged from their systems, but must be retained for future potential reference. Few existing media storage systems meet these requirements. Of the systems that meet the above requirements, most are available in plastic only and must be shipped from the manufacturer in a fully-assembled state. By the nature of their design, they create a considerable cube size and, as a result, consume a considerable amount of space during shipping, warehousing, and when displayed on store shelves.
There is, therefore, a need in the industry for a stackable apparatus that provides adaptable storage for different types and sizes of computer data media, while requiring less space than existing apparatus during warehousing, shipping, and store display. The present invention meets these needs and solves other related and unrelated problems.